Important News for Heritage Visitors

We are pleased to announce that English Partnerships (EP) has agreed in principle to purchase land at Bletchley Park in order to facilitate the site’s regeneration.  The land will be the former military vehicles site and land adjacent to Block H.  EP will also take a lease of Block D.  The uses permitted for the land will not compete with Bletchley Park’s plans for the core site.  The funds realised will be used to complete the core site purchase, pay historic debts and invest in Bletchley Park’s future.

Bletchley Park Trust has now reviewed the Park’s trial ‘daily opening’ policy after 12 months of it being in operation.  The Trust Board has concluded that the optimum operational and financial arrangement would be for Bletchley Park to stay open for conferences, weddings, schools and commercial bookings whilst closing during the winter to all heritage visits except those wishing to use the mansion only when it is available.  The adopted policy would mirror that in practice at many similar sites.  Due to the extensive programme of building works and potential hazards arising from these, particularly the new entrance, roads and services works; the restoration of Block B and Hut 8; all concentrated in the visits area, the Park will be closed to heritage visits with effect from Tuesday November 1st 2005.  The Park will re-open to heritage visits at the beginning of April 2006.

Following a review of current and future catering and fine dining requirements, the Trust Board has decided to outsource its catering operation, which will, from December 1st 2005, be managed by Zest Caterers.

Another exciting development at Bletchley Park is that Alan Turing, the inspirational mathematician at the heart of Bletchley Park’s WW2 codebreaking successes is to be honoured by an American philanthropist.  The billionaire has decided to champion Alan Turing’s memory and work through the education and exhibition programmes initiated by Bletchley Park Trust.  Among the plans is a new wing to our National Codes Centre’s Block B, right at the new entrance to the Park.  The building will be a Science Centre with many exciting features.

Over the last two years, the Bletchley Park Trust has restored Blocks, A, B (phase one) and E, established an American Garden Trail, opened the Bletchley Park Science and Innovation Centre and a number of new exhibitions and developed unique mathematics learning resources for students and educators.  Work has also begun on a grant-funded programme to restore Hut 8, Alan Turing’s former workplace.